Globetrotters - Rainy Day Bells (Original)

One of the most unusual Carolina Beach Music hits of all time. The song was composed with music by Neil Sedaka and lyrics by Howard Greenfield and was originally recorded by the great doo-wop group The Cadillacs. In 1970 a cartoon show was created based on the basketball antics of the Harlem Globetrotters, of which Meadowlark Lemon was the "Clown Prince". Don Kirshner created the show and he decided to record some music for the basketball sequences. So with a vocal assist from Meadowlark Lemon and some studio voices, "Rainy Day Bells" was recorded. The song actually made the Top 100 at the time, and it caught the ear of the Carolina Beach Music crowd and has become a favorite ever since.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Globetrotters
• Rainy Day Bells
• Carolina Beach Music

[doo58wop]

@Nocaro: Thank you very much for the background on this tune. Very informative. However, you mention the song made the Top 100. I do not find it charted on Billboard's Top 100. Could it have possibly been on one of the other 2 trade publications at the time? I used Joel Whitburn's Record Research "Top Pop Singles" as my source. Did it possibly chart under another artist's name?

[Nocaro]

@doo58wop It may have made just the R&B list rather than the Pop list and I'll have to go back and check my notes now to see. If that's the case, I'll amend my post. Thanks for the line...Lanny (Nocaro)

[doo58wop]

@Nocaro Having checked Joel Whitburn's "Top R&B Singles, 1942 - 1995, I did not find a listing either. Since it is listed as "Carolina Beach Music", could it have been a regional hit in the Southeast, making a chart there? In either case, it should have been a bigger hit than it was. I lived thru this era & never heard it until it was played on BCTV's "Dance Party". Music today cannot compare to the music of '50's, '60's & '70's.

[Nocaro]

@doo58wop It's been quite a while since I posted this, and I recall being surprised to find out that it had made the Top 100 (at least from some source which I cannot find right now). It was a huge regional hit for sure in the Carolinas, but I'll continue to find out where I got that info from and get back to you.

[genuineuni]

Very nice regional hit song. Interesting that Neil Sedaka recorded it twice, maybe both times as demos, but they didn't score.

[elkhunter4817]

Just bought a new car and one thing required was a satellite radio. The stations always tuned in are station 5 for the 50's and station 6 for the 60's. These were great times for America. Tops in education. Economic, space and military powerhouse. Responsible people. Great music. Did we have some dark moments in history you bet. Civil rights, Vietnam. But now we are a third world country with nucs. Glad for You Tube to bring back the memories.

[297bunny]

I live in South Carolina I love this music

[lindasuekristen]

If I win the lottery "big time", I'm going to have a modernized river/paddle boat made and have this song playing while it's raining.

[harptone55]

GREAT!

[Stillsingingat60]

NORMAN FOX SANG IT IN 1971